Letter: Changing the system

Regarding Jonathan Mann’s letter about City Hall conduct and the need for reform (“Calling for a recall,” Letters to the Editor, April 24):

A good place to begin reform would be the election of mayor by voters instead of council, and the election of council members by district, as is the case in most cities. These reforms would increase voter turnout by giving voters more skin in the game as well as a more personal neighborhood connection to City Hall information and decisions through their City Council representative.

Under the current system, council members are better served by responding more to special interest groups, those who give endorsements, and reliable campaign contributors to keep their seats on council than to voters, who mostly don’t turn out, while too many voters that do turn out seem to vote by name recognition entrenched over the years.

The current mayor is on at least her third or fourth stint as mayor and has been well served by the status quo. Her tenure is a good template for how the current system works for most council members, as a review of council member history over the past two decades will clearly show.

It’s painful to drive down Ocean Avenue, south of Colorado Boulevard, and see how dense (pack them in like sardines) the development going on there is, along with a new park where choice of trees and foundation so far appears most uninviting.